Fantasy Football: Does Najee Harris' Outlook Get a Boost With the Chargers?

Monday was dubbed the "unofficial" kick off of NFL free agency, yet it feels like most of the notable unrestricted free agents have already found a home. This includes the running back market as Samaje Perine is headed back to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Javonte Williams inked a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

We're still waiting on some of the most notable running backs to find spots, including Nick Chubb, J.K. Dobbins, and Rico Dowdle. One of the top tailbacks available -- Najee Harris -- also signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Under coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers are a run-heavy team. What does this mean for Harris' 2025 fantasy football outlook

Najee Harris' 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook With the Chargers

Harris has reached over 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons, but he's finished as RB20 and RB21 over his last two seasons in half-PPR (per FantasyPros). His clear standout season was as a rookie, finishing as RB4. Not only did he total a career-high 1,200 rushing yards, but Harris also had a much larger receiving workload with 94 targets and 74 receptions for 467 receiving yards. His second-highest career marks in the categories have been 53 yards and 41 catches -- which came in 2022 -- and 283 receiving yards from last season.

Getting enough work on the ground hasn't been a problem for Harris. The Pittsburgh Steelers had the fifth-highest rush-play rate and the sixth-most rushing attempts per game in 2024. Los Angeles carried a similar identity, posting the 10th-highest rush-play rate and 13th-most carries per contest a season ago. Dobbins led the Chargers with 905 rushing yards, but he remains an unrestricted free agent -- meaning the full-time workload should fall right into Harris' hands.

L.A. also logged 23.0 points per game (13th-most) and 5.4 yards per play (16th-most) in 2024, compared to Pittsburgh ranking 20th and 25th in the categories. Plus, the Bolts have a franchise signal-caller in Justin Herbert, while QB has been a consistent problem spot for the Steelers. Our schedule-adjusted rankings credited the Chargers with the 11th-best offense, whereas Pittsburgh had the 11th-worst unit.

We should expect more scoring opportunities for Harris on an improved offense. After reaching 10 total touchdowns in back-to-back seasons to begin his career, Harris has logged 8 and 6 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Dobbins had nine touchdowns with L.A. in 2024. An increase in the touchdown department should aid Harris' fantasy value.

While we should expect Harris to finish better than RB20 from last season, he's probably not going to return to that top-five production from his rookie year. Dobbins was 17th with 13.5 fantasy points per game with the Chargers in 2024. None of Los Angeles' backs got much receiving work, which was led by Dobbins with 38 targets and 32 receptions. Harris isn't hailed for his receiving, either, for he's finished under a 65.0 receiving grade in all four season (per Pro Football Focus).

Ultimately, Harris can take a step forward on an improved offense with more scoring chances. Plus, he's still on a run-heavy offense that should provide plenty of touches. However, it's unlikely he can tap back into his rookie receiving numbers, in turn failing to reach that top-10 fantasy upside.

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